Battle Tested Page 2

  He was attracted to her. Not that he was going to do anything about it. He let go of her hand, reminding himself that he wasn’t interested in another relationship. Been there, done that, didn’t work out, end of story.

  In his experience women thought they could help a guy get over his issues, yet when they learned they couldn’t, they decided the guy wasn’t worth the trouble and moved on.

  And maybe he wasn’t worth the trouble. He couldn’t blame Amber for leaving him when his panic attacks prevented him from leading a normal life. He especially didn’t appreciate her hovering over him. He used to think he’d get better and move on with his life, but he now understood PTSD didn’t ever go away. There were strategies to deal with it, sure, but it wasn’t like being treated for an infection that would be cured by a course of antibiotics.

  No, this was more like having a chronic illness for the rest of your life.

  “I’m sure he wasn’t interested in me that way,” Vanessa protested. “If he was, he didn’t pursue anything.” Then she added, “At the time I was drawn to him, not romantically, but in a maternal way. In a weird way, he reminded me of Aiden—young and a bit immature, yet trying to make something of himself. Silly now that I look back at it. Boyd wasn’t interested in anything but placing blame for everything that happened to him on someone else. Nothing was ever his fault, oh, no. It was everyone else out to get him.”

  “Then why target you as someone who wronged him?”

  “I have no idea.” She was silent for another block, then added, “And just so you know, I was working the night shift the night the dogs were let loose from their kennels. I know everyone believes Boyd had help from inside the base, but it wasn’t me. I’m not the one helping him.”

  Isaac was surprised by the sudden vehemence in her tone. “I didn’t suggest you were.”

  “Well, that’s something, I guess,” she said, her tone faintly bitter. “There are others, including the anonymous blogger, who have made it clear they believe I sent the rose to myself to deflect suspicion. The latest theory is that Boyd is getting help from a woman on base.”

  He hadn’t realized the depth of what she’d been going through over the past few months. “That’s a tough break, but I’m a witness to the attack who will exonerate you once and for all.”

  She lightly rubbed her neck, wincing at the tenderness. “Pictures of the bruises likely to be visible by morning should help, right?”

  The thought of her golden skin marred by bruises infuriated him. If he’d been a minute later... He clenched his jaw, unwilling to think about how he may have stumbled across Vanessa’s dead body.

  The level of hatred Boyd was carrying around with him was inconceivable. Must be that Boyd wanted more from Vanessa, a personal relationship of some kind. No other explanation made sense. She must have done something, or said something, that dented his fragile ego.

  No point rehashing it now. She needed protection, and he intended to make sure Captain Blackwood provided it to her. Isaac wasn’t going to leave her alone, not until a Security Forces cop was stationed outside her house.

  They walked the next block in silence.

  At the corner, Vanessa took a left, heading past a thick hedge separating two front yards. A movement in the shrubbery caught his eye at the same time that Tango made a whining sound in the back of his throat.

  Not a growl, but still a sound of distress.

  Vanessa stopped dead in her tracks, reaching out to tightly grab his arm. “Did you hear that?” she whispered.

  “Yes.” Isaac’s pulse kicked up and he instinctively pushed Vanessa behind him in an effort to protect her. “Call the police.”

  The movement in the bushes increased and Tango strained on his leash as if desperate to rush over.

  Was Boyd hiding in there? Did he right now have a gun trained on them?

  For a split second, his mind went back to the moment his chopper had been hit by enemy fire, spinning helplessly out of control. Temporarily lost in the past, he let go of Tango’s leash and the dog took off straight toward the bushes.

  No! Stay focused on the here and now!

  “Tango!” His voice came out in a strangled cry, but the golden retriever didn’t listen. The dog disappeared into the bushes.

  Leaving Isaac as the only protector for Vanessa.

  TWO

  Vanessa wasted several precious minutes fumbling in her bag for her phone. When she finally found it, she punched in the emergency number for the base police. “This is Lieutenant Gomez and I’m with Captain Isaac Goddard. We’re on the corner of Webster and Viking and have reason to believe Boyd Sullivan is hiding in the bushes. Hurry!”

  “I’ll send someone over,” the Security Forces dispatcher promised.

  She kept the phone in one hand and gripped the back of Isaac’s uniform with the other. Her entire body began to shake, and she abruptly understood a small part of what Aiden and Isaac went through while battling their illness.

  The thought of coming face-to-face with Boyd Sullivan made her break out in a cold sweat. She’d never felt helpless and vulnerable like this, until tonight. First the attack, and now this.

  “The cops from the south gate are closest,” she said in a low voice. “I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”

  “I know.” Isaac’s hands were fisted, his elbows flexed at his side, as if he were expecting a physical fight.

  Tango emerged from the bushes, tail wagging. He stood looking at them for a moment, then turned to duck back between the branches.

  She frowned. “What was that about?”

  “I’m not sure. Tango is a therapy dog, but he’s still trained well enough to know when danger is near.”

  “So, Boyd isn’t hiding in there?”

  “Probably not. Stay here. I’ll be right back.” Isaac took a step forward, but she didn’t let go of his uniform, choosing to go with him rather than remain on the street alone.

  “Vanessa, you should stay here.” Frustration was audible in his tone.

  She shook her head. “Better to stick together.”

  Tango came out of the bushes again, gave a sharp bark and wheeled around to return to the brush. She relaxed her grip on Isaac’s uniform, sensing the dog wanted them to follow.

  Surely, the golden wouldn’t lead them into harm’s way.

  “Call off the cops,” Isaac said, parting the branches with one hand and using his flashlight app on his phone to illuminate the darkness. “False alarm.”

  She inwardly debated letting the police come anyway, since she needed to report her attack, but she would rather talk to Justin personally. Decision made, she called the dispatcher back, confirming there was no immediate danger and that the call could be canceled. She slipped the phone back into her bag, then crept closer, hearing the rustling and odd whimpering sounds before her eyes landed on a cluster of puppies.

  “Did we find some of the lost dogs?” Six months ago, Boyd Sullivan or his accomplice had sneaked onto base and let nearly every single K-9 in the Working Dog Program out of their kennels, a little over two hundred of them. Over time many of the lost animals had been found, but there were still several missing, including three extremely valuable German shepherds named Glory, Scout and Liberty.

  “I’m not sure. There are four pups here, but it’s odd because there’s no sign of the mother. I doubt the mother is one of the lost dogs or we would have found her by now. The puppies appear healthy and well cared for, so I don’t think she abandoned them without a good reason.”

  “She must be one of the training dogs, don’t you think? Maybe she was attacked by a coyote?” It was horrible to think of a pack of coyotes ganging up on the mom, who likely would have attempted to lure the predator away from her babies. “We have to try to find her.”

  “Agreed, although we need to get these pups to safety first.” He gestured to the pu
ppies. “These look to be a few weeks old—not that I’m an expert. And they’re snuggled together to stay warm.”

  “My house is at the end of this block. Let’s bring the puppies there and get them warmed up, then let the cops know what happened.” Vanessa wondered how Aiden would like the puppies. Her brother tolerated Eagle, her Doberman, but didn’t find any comfort in the animal. And while she was hopeful he’d connect with a therapy dog such as Tango, he’d already failed in the first attempt to match him up. Ruby, the first dog who’d been assigned to him, had been a loving Irish setter, but Aiden hadn’t connected with Ruby on any level. Perhaps the adorable puppies might have a better chance of getting through to him.

  Not that there was any guarantee that Master Sergeant Westley James, the lead trainer at the K-9 training center, would allow her and Aiden to care for them. Although if the mother wasn’t one of the missing dogs, maybe he wouldn’t mind?

  She sent up a quick prayer, asking for God’s grace and mercy in keeping the puppies and the lost mother safe.

  “You take two, and I’ll take two,” Isaac said, gathering a couple of the puppies in his broad hands and handing them over. She cradled them against her chest, marveling at the softness of their fur and their adorable faces.

  “When we get the puppies settled and you’re safe, I’ll come back and search for the mother,” Isaac said. “I’ll also check with the veterinary clinic. They might have an injured dog that may belong to these pups.”

  “All right.” As her small ranch home came into view, Vanessa picked up the pace, suddenly desperate to see her brother. She’d been gone far longer than her normal twelve-hour shift, and Aiden didn’t always handle being on his own very well.

  The house was mostly dark except for a lone light in the corner of the living room. Awash with guilt, she shifted the puppies to one arm, and fished for her keys to unlock the door. Using her hip, she pushed the front door open and stepped inside.

  “Aiden? It’s me, Vanessa. I’m home.”

  Isaac followed her inside, but remained near the doorway, instinctively giving her brother time to adjust to the presence of a stranger.

  “Aiden?” She swept her gaze over the living room, then noticed her brother sitting on the floor in a corner of the room, his face buried in his hands. “I’m sorry I’m late,” she said in a low voice. “But look what I found. Puppies!”

  Aiden lifted his head, his gaze darting anxiously around the room, and instantly zeroing in on Isaac and Tango standing near the door. “Who is he?” Aiden asked harshly, his expression contorted in a mask of anger. “Why is he here?”

  Her heart sank as she realized how Aiden had struggled in her absence. Eagle came out of the kitchen to greet her, but with her hands full, she couldn’t give her canine protector the attention he deserved.

  She stayed focused on Aiden. “This is Captain Isaac Goddard, and he helped me bring the puppies home. Maybe you could hold them while I find a box to put them in?”

  Aiden’s gaze remained fixed on Isaac for a long moment before he finally noticed the squirming animals in her arms. Her brother’s expression softened and he rose to his feet.

  “Where did you find them?” he asked in a hushed tone.

  “In the bushes near Webster and Viking,” Isaac said from the doorway. “Four pups. I’m sad to say their mother seems to be missing. We’re hoping she’s getting care at the vet.”

  She wished Isaac would have remained silent, concerned that Aiden would become upset again from simply hearing his deep voice, but she needn’t have worried. Aiden’s gaze locked on the puppies and he came over to take one of them from her hands, bringing him up to his cheek.

  “They’re so soft,” Aiden whispered. He met her gaze. “There’s really four of them?”

  “Yes.” She handed him the second pup and then stepped back, subtly swiping at her damp eyes. The way her brother responded so positively to the puppies was more than she could have hoped for. “I’ll find a box.”

  “There’s one full of old movies next to my bed,” Aiden said. “Just dump them on the floor.”

  She took a moment to give Eagle a welcoming rub between the ears before hurrying into Aiden’s bedroom to empty the box of movies. When she returned, she was shocked to see that Isaac had come farther into the room and was standing less than three feet from Aiden.

  What was he thinking? Shouldn’t he have stayed near the door? What if Aiden freaked out again?

  “Found it,” she said as she rejoined them. Isaac set his two puppies in the box first, then her brother did the same. When she realized she’d been holding her breath, she let it out in a soundless sigh.

  Tango and Eagle sniffed at each other curiously, but both dogs were trained well enough not to growl. Tango in particular was a calm, sensitive dog, the kind she’d hoped to get for Aiden one day.

  “The pups might be hungry.” Aiden’s expression was full of concern.

  “You’re right,” Isaac said in a low, nonthreatening tone. “They’ll need warm milk for starters, but I’m not sure if cow milk is good for them. Vanessa, why don’t you call the training center to see what you’ll need to do in order to care for the puppies?”

  “Good idea.” She picked up her bag and dug out her phone. The call to the training center was immediately picked up by Master Sergeant Westley James, the training center operations director.

  “This is Lieutenant Vanessa Gomez. Captain Isaac Goddard and I found four puppies, without any sign of the mother. We’re not sure what breed they are, maybe a cross between a Lab and a rottweiler. We’d like to foster them, if you’ll allow it.”

  “Found them where?”

  “Less than a block from my house on Webster.” She glanced at Isaac, then added, “Captain Goddard is going to head out to find the mother, see if she’s somewhere close by. In the meantime, would you like us to bring the puppies into the vet?”

  “That would be good. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Okay, but if you don’t mind, Aiden would really like to help foster the puppies.” She knew Westley was aware of Aiden’s need for a therapy dog and how miserably her brother had failed with Ruby. “It would be a great experience for us. Please? Just tell us what you’d like us to do.”

  There was a pause then a sigh. “Okay, you and Aiden can foster them for now. But I’m warning you, it’s a time-consuming process. Any idea how old the puppies are?”

  “We’re not sure,” she admitted. “But they’re bigger than newborns. Maybe a few weeks?”

  “I hope you’re right, because we have a better chance of success if they’re at least three to four weeks old. Once we determine how old they are, you can get the appropriate commercially prepared puppy formula and instructions on how to start solid foods, along with how to housebreak them.”

  “We can do that. Thank you.” The wave of relief was overwhelming. She disconnected the call and smiled at Aiden. “Westley gave us permission to foster, but warned me it’s a lot of work.”

  “I don’t mind.” Aiden held the cardboard box in his arms as if he wasn’t ever going to let it go, the expression on his face full of wonder and joy.

  “Great. Then we’ve been ordered to bring them to the vet, and they’ll provide everything we need.”

  “Okay.” To her surprise, Aiden looked at Isaac. “We should probably take my sister’s car, right?”

  “Good idea.”

  Vanessa blinked the sting of tears away at Aiden’s tentative acceptance of Isaac. Already they were bonded by the puppies and with that as a foundation, it was possible that Isaac’s willingness to talk to Aiden would also help him learn better coping strategies.

  Being attacked by Boyd Sullivan may have been the worst part of her day, but finding the puppies turned out to be the absolute best thing to have happened.

  There was no doubt in her mind that these four tiny ball
s of fur were exactly what Aiden needed to help battle his illness.

  And she’d do anything in her power to see her tormented brother relax and smile again.

  Anything.

  * * *

  Isaac easily saw himself in Aiden’s demeanor, from the tense anxiety emanating from the young man’s very being, to the fear and anger darkening his brown eyes, replicas of his older sister’s.

  The kid was young, barely twenty from his estimation, and suddenly Isaac wished that the minimum age to enter the military was older than a mere eighteen.

  Not that he wasn’t proud to serve his country, because he was. After all, he’d gone straight into the Air Force Academy in Colorado, and from there to flight school to become an Air Force combat pilot. By the time he’d served his first tour overseas, he’d been twenty-three.

  Now that he was thirty, his first tour seemed a lifetime ago.

  There was no way to prepare for being deployed, although the various branches of the military did their best. Logically, he knew it wasn’t as if every airman, soldier, marine or seaman experienced combat, but still, the exposure to violence certainly took its toll.

  Which was why he still hadn’t signed the paperwork to reenlist. Returning to the air as a pilot wasn’t an option now. He’d never risk other lives by flying with PTSD. Which left a huge question mark on his future.

  But that was not a problem to solve tonight.

  As they stepped outside to Vanessa’s car, he did a quick sweep of the neighborhood, looking for any sign of the puppies’ mother. Tango helped, but he came up empty-handed.

  He climbed into the car beside Vanessa, and she drove directly to the veterinary clinic. The vet, Captain Kyle Roark, greeted them when they arrived.

  “Westley called me about the puppies. I think I may have the injured mother inside. Someone turned her in a few hours ago. She suffered a rather serious animal bite that required surgery to repair. I think she’ll be fine, but I’ll need to watch her closely for the next few days for signs of infection.”